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Western Hockey League makes changes to upcoming draft

(L to R) Nino Kinder, Michael Teply and Peyton Krebs at Winnipeg Ice practice on January 9th, 2020. Rudi Pawlychyn / Global News

Just a day after their playoffs were officially cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Western Hockey League announced changes for a number of upcoming events.

The 2020 WHL Bantam Draft Lottery and the U.S. Prospects Draft will proceed as planned on March 25, but two other live events have been affected.

The WHL Awards, that were supposed to be hosted in Red Deer on May 6, have been called off entirely, and the WHL Bantam Draft has been moved up by two weeks, and will now be conducted exclusively online on April 22.

READ MORE: 2020 Memorial Cup, CHL playoffs cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic

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The Bantam Draft Lottery will be a closed event and will not be streamed on the web in order to minimize staff.

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The Bantam Draft Lottery will determine the order of selection for the first six picks. The six lowest-place teams involved in the lottery include the Swift Current Broncos, Moose Jaw Warriors, Tri-City Americans, Prince George Cougars, Regina Pats, and Red Deer Rebels. A team can only move up a maximum of two positions.

The U.S. Prospects Draft will have two rounds and 44 total selections, with each team owning two picks.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: Sport Manitoba’s Night of Champions goes virtual to honour its winners

The Winnipeg Ice have the sixth and thirty-ninth picks, while the Brandon Wheat Kings will select in the seventeenth and twenty-eighth slots.

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